News by State

Nearing retirement, Pentagon security chief looks back on 40-year career

The Defense Department recently
highlighted the career and work of Pentagon Force Protection Agency Director
Steven Calvery, who is nearing retirement after a 40-year career with
several federal agencies.

Calvery’s mother left Tokyo for the safety
of the U.S. in 1945 and has served as an inspiration throughout his life. Calvery's
federal law enforcement career began with the Secret Service, where he served
for 21 years before becoming a senior law enforcement adviser at the
Treasury Department. Calvery then moved to the Department of the Interior (DOI) and took
on a vital role in national security after 9/11.

“There was no culture of security in DOI,
and I was tasked by the secretary to look at the department’s critical assets
and come up with a plan to protect them, such as the Statue of Liberty, Lincoln
Memorial, Mount Rushmore and major U.S. dams such as the Hoover (in Nevada),
operated by DOI’s Bureau of Reclamation,” Calvery said.

Calvery began working with the Pentagon
Force Protection Agency in 2006 and is responsible for the safety of 25,000 people
who work in the Pentagon, as well as 30,000 Defense Department employees who
work in National Capital Region facilities. During Calvery's tenure, the agency has
grown from 340 employees to more than 1,200.

“I’m very proud of the people who work in
the agency, of their dedication to the mission and protecting the Pentagon,” Calvery
said. “They work very hard – it’s difficult and challenging work.”

American Security News provides daily reporting on policy issues and
news related to the national defense of the United States. This includes
Congressional and White House policies, defense industry news, Armed
Forces developments, and ongoing updates from the War on Terror.